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Meet the Interns: Carolyne Kola, Athletics, Kenya

“The WCIP is important … as a woman being granted a chance to interact with fellow women coaches and build networks so we can help each other in understanding how to best coach our athletes.”

Sport: Athletics

Mentor Coach: John Anzrah

Country: Kenya

Current Occupation: Qualified national coach

Games Responsibilities: Carolyne will assist the athletes in their training programmes so that they perform well in their area of specialisation, especially horizontal jumps.

Athletic Background: Carolyne competed for 18 years in heptathlon and triple jump, including at the All-Africa Games. She was introduced to athletics by her mother who was a competitor.

Coaching: Carolyne decided on a coaching career when her assigned coach was “never there for me. I felt like an orphan and that gave me the urge to be a coach for my athletes.” The late Philip Ndoo, deputy director of the Regional Development Centre Nairobi, mentored her when she participated as a demonstrator during an IAAF Level 2 coaching course. Also helpful was Athletics Kenya, who nominated her for an IAAF Level 1 course. As national coach for the Deaflympics, she coached her athletes to four gold medals at the 2012 World Deaf Athletics Championships and was named Coach of the Year. She also coached at the 2016 Deaflympics, the 2016 Olympic Games, and the 2015 All-Africa Games. Carolyne aspires to provide her athletes with the best possible knowledge so they succeed where she did not. Her major issues? Being referred to as a woman and failure to take into account the results of her coaching. She uses multiple tools to stay connected, including Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter, and emails.

Education:

IAAF Level 1 and 2 Coaching

Academy Diploma

International Paralympic Committee Officiating

Importance of the WCIP: "The WCIP is important for Carolyne “as a woman being granted a chance to interact with fellow women coaches and build networks so we can help each other in understanding how to best coach our athletes. Through mentoring, she is learning to understand her athletes and how to handle them; in the process, she is gaining contacts with various organisations.”

After Gold Coast: Carolyne will use the knowledge she acquires through the WCIP to help promote athletics to youngsters, juniors, and elite athletes. If finances become available, she would like to open a sports academy. She also intends to share the WCIP experience with other women coaches, saying “knowledge shared is much better than holding on to it by yourself.”

Commonwealth Connections: “Because one language is used, interaction is easier as these are the “Friendly” Games. It is a great honour to be a coach in Gold Coast and to share and acquire knowledge.”